MAY YOUR WINES FALL
BRIGHT! Inventory PRICES
reduced. All inventory is on Dutch St.
Call to order, if you want. The online cart has closed, but I can still send orders out and take
credit cards from the house. Call 607-368-3449 if you want to meet me
here.

NOTE:Acid reduction with Calcium Carbonate, Potassium
Bicarbonate, OR Acidex, or Acidex Super K can not exceed more than a
.4% total reduction either by combined or any one application.

Addition of 3.4 grams of Potassium Bicarbonate /gallon
will reduce acidity by 0.1% with a maximum reduction of Total Acid
(TA) of 0.25 to 0.3%

Potassium bicarbonate reduces the acid level of wine by
neutralization and precipitation.It neutralizes acid by converting one to the
hydrogen ions of tartaric acid to water and then combining with the remaining
tartrate ion to form relatively insoluble potassium bitartrate
(KHT).

·The use of potassium bicarbonate
does not add anything foreign to wine.All that occurs is an increase in K+
concentration and a decrease in both acid and tartrate.

·The procedure for using potassium bicarbonate is also simple.It is added in a single
dose to the entire batch of wine, rather than in serial addition
recommended for calcium carbonate and Acidex.Addition of 3.4
grams/gallon will reduce acidity by 0.1% with a maximum reduction of Total Acid
(TA) of 0.25 to 0.3%
Add to wine at room temperature for better
solubility.

Because it neutralizes the acid, potassium
bicarbonate raises the pH of the wine more than calcium carbonate. This can
be an advantage in dealing with problem varieties with a pH below 3.0 and a TA
above 1.0.Raising the pH of such wines will help soften their acid taste.
However, this can also be a major disadvantage or limitation in its
use.Itis recommended only for use with wines with
a pH below 3.0 and a
T.A. above 1.0to insure that the final pH will not exceed
3.6.Maximum reduction of TA is in the .25 to .3% range.

Precipitation of the potassium bitartrate resulting
from the use of potassium bicarbonate is brought about by cold
stabilization. It
is important for the amateur winemaker to make use of potassium bicarbonate
while cold weather is still available.The cold stabilization
accounts for about 25% to 50% of the calculated acid
reduction.

Seeding with potassium bitrate enhances the
precipitation of tartrates during cold stabilization.The wine is chilled to
a temperature of 26 degrees F and very finely ground potassium bitartrate
crystals (cream of tartar) are sprinkled on the surface. In this basic
procedure, about 2-3 grams of potassium bitartrate are added per gallon and
2-3 weeks allowed for the precipitation to run its course. Dropping
through the wine, they grow as they attract more potassium bitartrate out of
solution.

Super seeding is the use of a mega dose of 4
grams/liter and keeping the wine in agitation for 2-3 hours at 26 degrees
F. Without seeding, the cold stabilization (detartration) should be
extended for a month or more rather than weeks. (Crystals from earlier
reactions can be ground up with a mortar and pestle and recycled for
seeding.)